Drip-style coffee makers are known to heat water and pour (or drip) the heated water over loose coffee grounds so that the heated water extracts the coffee oils from the grounds before dripping into a carafe or other container. The strength of the resultant coffee is a function of the amount of time the heated water remains in contact with the coffee grounds and, therefore, the amount of coffee oils extracted. The variables involved here include the size of the grind, the quantity of grounds, and the amount of time the water remains in contact with the grounds.
With the advent of espresso machines, coffee shops, and designer coffee makers, there has been an increased demand for “strong” brewed coffee. Most people do not have access to espresso machines or a daily trip to a coffee shop. Many coffee drinkers would like to be able to brew stronger coffee right in their own homes with a traditional drip coffee maker. Recalling the variables involved in brewing stronger coffee, the regular homeowner is made to either use more coffee than normal or to purchase a finer grind. Both of these options result in more expense to the regular coffee drinker.
Some in the art have attempted to address this solution by introducing drip coffee makers with a “strong” setting. This setting effectively slows down the brew cycle so that, all other variables remaining equal, the effective time of contact between the heated water and the coffee grounds is increased. In this way, a standard coffee maker has been adapted to brew “regular” as well as “strong” coffee. The current state of the art solution, however, significantly increases the cost of the coffee maker since the “strong” capability is accomplished through complicated and expensive circuitry, printed circuit boards, and other electrical components.
It would be desirable, then, to have a drip-style coffee maker that is capable of brewing both regular and strong coffee, without complex circuitry, and at a low cost. Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a dual-circuit coffee maker apparatus that is low-cost and is adapted to brew both regular and strong coffee.
While certain aspects of conventional technologies have been discussed to facilitate disclosure of the invention, Applicant in no way disclaims these technical aspects, and it is contemplated that the claimed invention may encompass one or more of the conventional technical aspects discussed herein.
In this specification where a document, act, or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act, or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date, publicly available, known to the public, part of common general knowledge, or otherwise constitutes prior art under the applicable statutory provision; or is known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which this specification is concerned.